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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Character Study - Spike

So last week, I took a look at one of the few villains that I hate with all my heart. This week, I’ll do the opposite: talk about a villain I can’t get enough of.

For those of you who don’t know anything about Spike, here’s some quick background information. Spike first shows up in Sunnydale with his weakened one and only, Drusilla, in hopes that all of the energy surrounding the Hellmouth will restore her vampire strength. Buffy and Spike have it out, but in a weird turn of events, they team up to take down Angelus (Angel’s mean alter-ego who took Dru from Spike). Drusilla regains her strength, just like Spike hoped, but the alliance he formed with Buffy backfires and Drusilla leaves him for a better demon. He tries to win Drusilla back but to no avail. As a form of revenge, he wreaks havoc in Sunnydale, though he probably would have done that anyway, to be fair.

Spike as a big bad vamp

During Buffy’s first year of college, Spike is captured by a group called The Initiative and is implanted with a chip that makes him physically unable to harm others or himself. Once again, he finds himself teaming up with Buffy to get revenge on those who effectively “neutered” him. Eventually he becomes a full pledged member of the “Scooby Gang” and falls in love with Buffy. When she doesn’t return the affection, Spike gets violent and tries to assault her. Then he goes to Africa to get his soul back, and Buffy sees the error of her ways when she is raised from the dead by Willow. And it’s right about here where the show jumps the shark, so I’ll stop with the summary.

Spike and Drusilla

Spike is a very interesting character. He is supposed to be this mean, awful vampire, but you really can’t help but love him. In the first season that he appears, every evil act he commits is in attempt to get Drusilla back to her normal strength. Just like any human who feels jealous, so does Spike. So much so, that he was willing to team up with the girl whose job it is to kill him, just to get revenge. This also shows the lengths he’d go to just to get Drusilla back.

Buffy takes extra precautions with Spike

Later in the series, Spike evolves. When he gets the chip implanted, he learns there’s more to life than ruthless killing. In fact, I daresay he enjoyed hanging out with the Scooby Gang. Eventually we see that even a soulless creature like Spike can transform into someone good that is capable of loving.

Spike is arguably one of my favorite villains and looking back on it, it's because he wasn't really a villain at all. He's a bunch of things rolled into one: antagonist, comic relief, love interest and bully.

Spike Quotes:

From his first appearance on the show:
You've got Slayer problems. That's a bad piece of luck. Do you know what I find works real good with Slayers? Killing them.

On revenge and his feelings for Drusilla:Buffy: Okay, fine, you're not down with Angel. Why would you ever come to me?Spike: I want Dru back, I want it like it was before he came back. The way she acts around him.....Buffy: You're pathetic, I lost a friend tonight!Spike: I wasn't in on that raiding party.Buffy: And I may lose more. The whole earth may be sucked into Hell and you want my help because your girlfriend's a big ho? Well, let me take this opportunity to not care!Spike: I can't fight them both alone and neither can you.Buffy: [seething] I hate you.Spike: And I'm all you've got.

On love:
You're not friends. You'll never be friends. You'll be in love 'til it kills you both. You'll fight, and you'll shag, and you'll hate each other 'til it makes you quiver, but you'll never be friends. Love isn't brains, children, it's blood -- blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.

On battle:
You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. That's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying, "I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it." The history of the world is not people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.

"I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it." <<<<I never saw Spike as soulless because of stuff like this. And I really do miss that bloke. He was a dynamic character, and I hated what they did with the assault scene because I don't think it was portrayed correctly.

Nonetheless, Buffy was my all time favorite show ever! Remember when they would have crossover events! *wistful sigh*

Gawd, I miss Buffy, and Angel and Spike. Thanks for bring back some memories.